Primarily a collection of news links about all 10 Horizon League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Winners...Shelvin Mack: The Butler star definitely leapfrogged a few picks higher than many though, landing at No. 34 overall with Washington. The Wizards had a great draft overall landing Jan Vesley and Chris Singleton as well, and while Mack isn't garnering nearly as many headlines as his two new rookie teammates, he finds himself in a pretty solid scenario backing up John Wall. Mack has a winning mentality, is a smart player and has shown that he can be a true point guard in doses. He will get that opportunity with the Wizards where his big game experience will be a valuable addition to a young, developing team....Losers...Norris Cole: OK, the pro is that Cole stands a good chance to win an NBA Championship in his rookie season assuming he sticks on the Miami Heat roster. The cons? For starters, being under the glaring spotlight that is South Beach these days is an enormous weight to bear for anyone on the roster, let alone a rookie from Cleveland State. Furthermore, I don't know if Cole is even necessarily the second best point guard on this team right now. He's smaller than Mario Chalmers and not anywhere close to him as a defender. Then there's Mike Bibby, an aging veteran to be sure, but still savvy enough to run the show when called to. There are likely better situations that Cole could have landed in to be sure and the D-League certainly seems like a very plausible scenario at this point.

There were analysts that were high on Cole Thursday night, but my thinking is more Heat-based than anything.

This was a team that essentially bought back its initial first-round pick (sent to Toronto in the Chris Bosh(notes) deal, which sent it to Chicago who then sent it to Minnesota and back to Miami) in order to add talented depth at a position they need help in. Cole may not usurp Mario Chalmers(notes) at any point in the next three years, but he can play at the NBA level. And for a team entering the draft with the 31st pick to deal with, this was a sound hire....Washington Wizards

Additions: Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, Shelvin Mack.

Grade: A+

Vesely fawning aside, this was a terrific draft. Vesely will be must-watch TV for those of us who dread pulling up Wizards games on a Tuesday at 7 at night, Singleton is a needed lockdown defender who might allow Flip Saunders to bust out his zone defense once again, and I don't understand why other teams underrated Shelvin Mack. This isn't an area where I want to be proven wrong.

No boffo names, but Washington did well to surround John Wall(notes) with some eager types who couldn't be bothered with the team's recent history. Well done.

For the Jazz — who now, mixed among their veterans, feature a formidable young front line that includes promise all around: Kanter in the middle, Derrick Favors on the left, and Gordon Hayward on the right — Thursday night wasn’t perfect, but it had at least the look and feel of a success.

And Burks is someone whom the Jazz are relying on to play multiple positions. Already, there is talk of pairing Burks and Gordon Hayward together in the backcourt when matchups dictate. Burks will immediately be counted on to break down a defense off the dribble and to create mismatches when he has the ball in his hands.

Utah was known more during recent seasons for losing key players such as Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Wesley Matthews, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer than it was for adding premier talent. Now, the Jazz have a foundation of diverse youth — Kanter, Favors, Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks — to build upon. And once the league has a new collective bargaining agreement in place and a restructured salary cap is established, a Utah franchise with a significantly declining payroll will have multiple pieces to trade, sell or keep.

As constituted, the Jazz look as though they’ve accelerated their rebuilding project. Check out the breakdown of the options on their roster:...Small forwards: Gordon Hayward, Millsap, Jeremy Evans...The Jazz have to fire enough bombs to make space for that inside game, where the big men can more freely do their business. Okur, if he gets back to form, can shoot it. Hayward transformed his game during his rookie year with newfound efficiency from deep. Beyond that, who’s going to nail jumpers, particularly out of the pick and roll?

Instant analysis • Cole played four season at Cleveland State, which plays in the same conference at Butler, so the competition might be better than it looks at first. He averaged 21.7 points and 5.8 assists per game as a senior, but he shot only 32 percent on three-pointers during his career. His perimeter game must improve in the NBA.

Verdict • Taken by Chicago and traded to Miami, Cole could be a perfect fit for the point guard-challenged Heat. His ballhandling and presence on defense should take considerable pressure off Dwyane Wade, which can only help the All-Star’s effectiveness.

Despite struggling most of the season, Ray McCallum almost averaged 10-5-5 during his freshman season at Detroit. McCallum has elite handle, good passing skills and is flying under the radar. He should be much better than his stats show if he declares for the 2012 draft.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Norris Cole, 6-2 senior guard, Cleveland State. I love him. He's a poor man's Maurice Cheeks. He has defensive abilities, good size, great hands, can run a team. One of our scouts is absolutely in love with this kid. I'm telling you, his wheels are ridiculous. He's like Ty Lawson, except he's more of a scorer....Shelvin Mack, 6-3 junior guard, Butler. I'm a big fan. I just think he's steady. He's a point guard who can get you into the offense and can play off superstars. The team went to back-to-back championship games and he had a lot to do with it. Defensively, he knows how to play right now. He worked out very well for us. He's a career No. 2 point guard, but those guys have value. You have to have a really good backup point guard in this league. He has no B.S. in his game, and if you have B.S. in your game, he's going to take it away and make you wish you didn't see him today.

Enes Kanter, Utah's pick at No. 3, and Burks represent a continuation of the youth movement for the Jazz. Kanter turned 19 in May, while Burks won't turn 20 for another month. The two will join Derrick Favors (19) and Gordon Hayward (21) as significant members of Utah's youthful rotation moving forward.

But in all, Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor was happy with the draft, as were about 7,500 fans who came to the team’s draft party at EnergySolutions Arena. The crowd response was generally positive — a turn from last year’s choir of boos when Utah drafted Gordon Hayward of Butler University ninth overall.

Norris Cole, PG, Cleveland State. Don't blink, or you risk missing Cole. He's that fast with the ball, has true point guard attributes and is still on the uptick as a player. This is a guy who, just four years ago, was signed and ready to go to NAIA Walsh University before Cleveland State said, "Whoa, this guy is available?" He's probably going to be a second-round pick because he does not have a strong skill to compliment his speed, and he might never knock down a bunch of NBA 3-pointers. But he'll come in and affect the game immediately with his athleticism and knack for finding ways to make positive plays. I wouldn't be shocked if he has a long and productive NBA career.

On their way up:...Norris Cole, 22 - Cleveland State: Cole is another guy I've been high on for quite some time. A tremendous slasher who can break just about anyone down off the bounce, he's a scoring point guard who also loves to create for others. Like Jimmer Fredette, he HAD to put up huge offensive numbers in college for his team to win, but I also draw parallels between the two in that they both can effectively blend facilitation duties with scoring. Cole is likely to come off the board early in the second, but could even sneak into the first. That's how impressive he has been.

The irony is the Jazz can afford to play around with their own pick, No. 12. If that’s Jimmer Fredette, fine. The reality is, they’re not even going to get a Gordon Hayward-level player in that slot. They took Hayward at No. 9 last June, and this is a weaker draft, by all accounts.

Monday, June 20, 2011

24. Shelvin Mack, Butler guard: He'll be a scoring point guard if he succeeds at the NBA level. He has a gift for creating shots off the dribble. As with Jason Terry and Ben Gordon, the NBA seems more open-minded to guys with point-guard size and a scorer's mentality....36. Norris Cole, Cleveland State point guard: In these days, when the no-hand check rule is so strictly enforced, point guards with Cole's lateral quickness, both on offense and defense, become more valuable. He's strong in the pick-and-roll.

But this year's list of draft hopefuls goes far deeper than just a couple of stars.

Butler's tandem of Howard and Shelvin Mack have been busy attending workouts all over the country. Four mid-major players were among the six players working out in front of Bird on Thursday. Thompson, the son of former No. 1 pick and two-time NBA champ Mychal Thompson and brother of Washington State early entry draft prospect Klay Thompson, was another one in Indy.

Leonard has not been in town yet, but two other San Diego State players, Malcolm Thomas and Billy White have.

The potential lockout could speed up the process, too, because some of this year's top underclassmen decided to stay in school. That could open up some spots in a two-round draft for players such as Howard or Mychel Thompson to get selected.

Williams moved on and cleaned up his life, though. And embarrassing incidents for recent Jazz draft picks have mostly been anomaly for an organization that takes pride in selecting players who represent the best assets small-market teams have to offer.

Nowhere is that better seen than in 2010 selections Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Evans. The ever-smiling duo are as friendly, easygoing and accommodating as anyone in the league, and they were inseparable last season.

The St. John's basketball schedule for next season comes together with another date, a nationally-televised game against the University of Detroit that will also serve as a dedication for a court named in Dick Vitale's honor. The former Detroit Titans coach Vitale had a sterling record in the motor city before going to the professional ranks and later, broadcasting. As for the game itself, Detroit could be a real challenger to the young Red Storm, with talent at the guard and wing and Big East-style height. The Titans are another good high-profile practice before conference play.

The six-man session will include Kansas power forward Marcus Morris and Florida State small forward Chris Singleton, both of whom are lottery projections. Seeming first-round small forwards Jordan Hamilton (Texas), Tobias Harris (Tennessee) and Tyler Honeycutt (UCLA) will also workout, along with Illinois-Chicago's Paul Carter.

9. ButlerCommitted: No. 93 Chris Harrison-Docks (6-0, 160, PG), Kellen Dunham (6-4, 160, SG), Devontae Morgan (6-3, 175, SG)Under the radar no more? Harrison-Docks was an All-State selection in Michigan highly recruited by major conference schools. Dunham would have received the same attention had he not committed to the Bulldogs so early.

Khyle Marshall impressed a lot of people with his play last season in helping Butler get back to the national championship game, and that evidently includes the decision-makers at USA Basketball. Marshall, a rising sophomore who was the Bulldogs’ leading bench scorer and rebounder despite adding only 5.8 PPG and 3.8 RPG last year, has been invited to try out for the American team that will defend its 2009 title at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Latvia, which starts at the end of this month. He can ask a couple of his fellow Brad Stevens disciples for advice on this, if he likes; both Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack were on that 2009 team that took gold in New Zealand.

When Bryce Drew was chosen to succeed his father Homer at Valparaiso a little less than a month ago, he became the fifth head coach in the Horizon League currently in his 30s. We’re always intrigued to hear how coaches who are barely ten years older than many of their players are able to come across more as authority figures and less as contemporaries, and it brings up another question: with the current generation of players, is it better to be an old seasoned coach chock-full of wisdom that comes from time and experience who’s better at recruiting the parents as well as the players, or is it more advantageous to be perceived as a young ”up-and-comer” who knows how to use Twitter, Facebook, and get up for a chest-bump? The two things aren’t mutually exclusive, and it will be interesting to see if the most successful coaches over the next 5-10 years are guys who are hybrids of those two options.

Friday, June 3, 2011

If prospects were to be given movie names for this weekend after their combine performance, than Iman Shumpert would be “The Hangover II”. Shumpert not only appeared much taller than other point guards, and with his build and athleticism, should truly become a combo. At 6’5.5 and 222 lbs of solid frame, he jumped out the building with verticals of 36.5 standing and 42 max. He had great running numbers and lifted 185 a monstrous 18 times. While his shooting and decision making still have a lot to be desired, Shumpert’s freakish athleticism could easily give teams in the first round some intrigue.

Josh Selby equaled Shumpert’s vert numbers, and is quickly growing in popularity. Selby may have had a mediocre freshman year at Kansas, but he seems to be showing why he was viewed as such a top-flight prospect. Isaiah Thomas also showed some big time hops and speed, not to mention 13 reps, strength in which Thomas uses to play much bigger than his size. Butler star Shelvin Mack really proved that he is not only strong, with his 17 reps, but posted some major league vertical numbers and solid speed. He definitely was known as being an incredibly strong guard, but his other athletic numbers were incredibly surprising in a very good way for this natural born leader.

A number of combo guards made some noise during the combine as well, trying to show which small school star is the next Kevin Martin or Rodney Stuckey. They do not have the size, but Norris Cole, Charles Jenkins and Andrew Goudelock are all making some noise as legit NBA prospects. Cole, well known for playing much bigger than his size, posted very impressive vert numbers and a combine high 10.07 lane agility. Word is that he is moving up draft boards after these results. Jenkins is the biggest of these prospects, and while he showed nice strength, his athleticism was fairly below average. Goudelock meanwhile has the best shooting stroke of these players, and showed very solidly in the testing. He posted the second fastest lane agility, a very fast ¾ court sprint and an above average vert. All of these players should be drafted and should all get some first round sniffs.

21.Cha Butler Shelvin Mack SG 6’2 215 lbs JuniorAs the big shot taker on the nation’s runner up squad two years running, Mack has finally become a household name because of all the exposure that comes with deep Tourney runs. His shooting range and physical strength are two attributes that translate nicely for NBA play. Shelvin compares favorably to that of Ben Gordon as an instant offense type of shooter/scorer at the lead guard position. Has good handles and plays excellent defense and is one of those long range shooters that has range anywhere inside the gym....24.Bos Cleveland St Norris Cole PG 6’3 180 lbs SeniorNorris is the perfect example of a player making the right decision to stay in school. By returning for his senior season, he has steadily increased his all-around numbers to being the lone Division I player to average 20+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists. He burst upon the national scene with his 41 point, 20 rebound, 9 assist effort against an opponent in February but his biggest improvement has been his PG skills, where he was a finalist or the Bob Cousy Award given to the nation’s best PG. He’s a solid PG prospect with above average offensive abilities and is at his best in pick and roll situations. His only concern is having only average athleticism and must improve his range on his jumper as he doesn’t connect on a ton of shots from three. Norris is a 4 star PG prospect, better served as a facillitator on a team with an already in place superstar.

The response to Gordon Hayward’s strong finish of his rookie season was equally refreshing and mind-boggling to me. Hayward’s 34-point night against Denver in the season finale created hope for his future, but that version of the Nuggets did not provide any reasonable gauge.

Cleveland State announced that Brittany Korth, a former guard at CSU who helped the Vikings to their first NCAA Tournament in 2008, is returning to the school as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team.

Korth, a Clinton, Wis., native, earned four letters with CSU and graduated in 2008.